Smackdown
Date: October 9, 2026
Location: Cajundome, Lafayette, Louisiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

Twas the night before Money In The Bank and that’s the end of the poetry corner. As usual, this is the big show that comes before the pay per view and in this case we have a Women’s Tag Team Title match, with Charlotte and Tatum Paxley getting a shot at Fatal Influence. Other than that we have the big push towards tomorrow, which should be good enough. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce are here and have some friendly banter about Money In The Bank. Trick Williams comes in to say he wants to face Sami Zayn. Bron Breakker pops in to say he’s wasting his time here but Williams doesn’t like that. The GM’s make Breakker vs. Williams for the main event.

Here is CM Punk for a chat and the ladders are set up in the ring. After getting the catchphrase out of the way, Punk says some people have been asking him why he’s getting in this ladder match at this point in his career. He’s won this thing twice before and he’s taking a chance to make history, because that’s what he does. It won’t be a cakewalk and Punk goes over the other participants in the match.

Punk praises some of the younger stars but gets cut off by Kevin Owens, who Punk doesn’t sweat. Owens, calling Punk “Phil”, says he thinks tomorrow night gives him a chance to do the most important thing in WWE. More importantly though, it gives him the chance to stop Punk from getting the briefcase again. Punk calls that a fail safe for Owens and that’s why he’s on top of the ladder looking down at Owens.

Naturally Owens climbs the other ladder and says this is what he sees in Punk’s eyes. Owens promises to prevent Punk from winning and then taking the title from Sami Zayn, who comes out to interrupt. Zayn climbs a third, shorter ladder, so Owens says “hi shorty”. Zayn finds it symbolic that he’s on the smallest ladder and beneath the other two but they should both know he’s a survivor. He always finds a way, including beating Punk, who blames Owens for the loss.

Zayn says that wasn’t an accident but rather him being exceptionally intelligent. Punk is left looking at Zayn with the title and it drives him crazy and that kind of hatred is going to make sure neither of them win tomorrow. I can’t really picture either of them winning, but Punk knows how to paint a picture and the ladders were used well here.

Jacy Jayne/Lash Legend/Tiffany Stratton vs. Roxanne Perez/Sol Ruca/Lola Vice

Jayne and Ruca start things off with Ruca hitting an X Factor so Perez tags herself in for a fast two. Legend comes in and lunges for Perez, with Ruca and Vice dropping to the floor in a smart move. It’s off to Vice, who gets thrown into the corner but comes back with some more kicks. Ruca moonsaults to the floor to take Legend down and then hits another moonsault onto everyone else as we take a break.

We come back with Ruca fighting out of a chinlock and avoiding Jayne’s Cannonball. Perez isn’t about to tag though and Jayne gets in a clothesline to keep Ruca down. That lasts all of a few seconds, allowing Vice to get the tag and fire off kicks. The running hip attacks connect and now Perez is willing to tag herself in. Stratton comes in to take Perez down but Legend tags herself in as well. The Lash Extension is escaped and it’s Ruca back in with a dropkick. A DDT drops Legend again and it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. The Sol Snatcher accidentally hits Vice and the Lash Extension gives Legend the pin on Ruca at 11:14.

Rating: B-. Now this was more like it, as it was one match rather than having a bunch of “building momentum” matches for weeks on end. Since getting a pinfall over someone means pretty much nothing on the way to a ladder match, this only means so much. The good thing though is that the match happened and now we’re ready to move on to the ladder match, which is a much more streamlined build and far more appreciated.

Post match Legend takes out her partners, which shouldn’t be a surprise.

Chelsea Green is ready to face whomever wins the briefcase but Nikki Bella comes in to say she’s what Green should worry about. Bella calls Green a bootleg version of her and suggests that Matt Cardona wants her. As usual, Bella sounded as robotic as imaginable around here.

Hold on though as we cut to the Baddies jumping Charlotte.

Post break Charlotte’s shoulder is banged up but she’s not letting the title match be postponed. Alexa Bliss can take her spot instead, with Nick Aldis banning everyone from ringside, including Jacy Jayne.

MFT vs. War Raiders

Non-title and Haku is here with MFT. Erik and Talla start things off with Talla taking over Everything breaks down rather quickly and they go outside, with Ivar hitting a flip dive off the apron as we take an early break. We come back with Erik and Tama getting up to slug it out and Erik handing it back to Ivar.

Talla cuts off the Doomsault attempt and Tama’s hanging neckbreaker out of the corner gets two. Cue Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki and Ivar sits on Tama in the corner. Erik gets to come back in but is knocked down, leaving Tama to go after Kyoki. The Viking Experience (erg) plants Tama but Haku gets in a cheap shot from the floor. The Brother’s Keeper finishes Erik at 7:56.

Rating: B-. This was good enough as it was two teams beating the daylights out of each other. I was hoping for more brawling and time but the title match against Nakamura and Kyoki should be good. Good enough match here, with Haku being a nice addition to the MFTs. And getting them away from the Bloodline stuff, which wasn’t exactly working.

Post match Nakamura and Kyoki come in to clear the ring but the Raiders go after them, only to get knocked down as well.

Danhausen, with his Evil Detector, comes in to see Adam Pearce. Nick Aldis comes in and the detector beeps, but it beeps a lot louder when Finn Balor comes in. Pearce is off to drink while Aldis tells Balor that Gunther wants a match tonight. That’s fine with Balor, but Gunther wants to face Danhausen. Balor doesn’t think this is a good idea and leaves his detector behind, with Balor freaking out when it beeps a lot.

We look at John Cena making his 17th appearance on the Tonight Show and giving host Jimmy Fallon a belt as a thank you.

We look at Randy Orton costing Cody Rhodes a Money In The Bank qualifying match last week.

Earlier today, Miz was complaining that his birthday wasn’t celebrated enough but Nick Aldis went over to Orton. Aldis told him to leave because Aldis can’t have any more chaos. Orton said that he’s not worried because Cody Rhodes will hesitate to take him out again next time before leaving anyway.

Miz and Kit Wilson storm the arena, with Miz saying he deserves a birthday party. Wilson loads up Happy Birthday but Cody Rhodes interrupts instead. Miz doesn’t want this kind of interruption and tells Rhodes to stay out of his ring. Cross Rhodes drops Miz fast but Nick Aldis comes in to say he can’t let this keep happening. Rhodes and Orton are taking this show off the rails and wants to talk to Rhodes about how the feud can progress.

Instead Rhodes wants to stay in HIS office, meaning the ring. He recaps the feud with Orton and says he felt fear when he couldn’t pull the trigger. Now he’s taking that fear everywhere he can go and take out Orton for good. He wants to deal with the Michael Myers slow motion walking tramp stamp wearing Orton. That’s a good promo for a match tomorrow, if that’s what was actually happening.

Money In The Bank rundown.

Damian Priest says he should be Mr. Money In The Bank again but R-Truth ruined the whole thing. Priest goes over to Fraxiom, who don’t like what he’s been doing to R-Truth. That earns them a beatdown but R-Truth runs in for the brawl.

Danhausen vs. Gunther

Even Danhausen knows this isn’t going to go well. He stops the referee from calling for the bell and loads up the Curse but Gunther isn’t having any of this and boots Danhausen in the face. Some powerbombs and chops have Danhausen even more dead and Gunther lays him on top for the boot choke. Cue Finn Balor for the save and Gunther is knocked outside, where he runs through the crowd. Balor goes to check on Danhausen but Gunther is back to take Balor out. A powerbomb onto the announcers’ table has Balor laying. No match.

Sami Zayn rants to Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae again, with LeRae not being convinced. Bron Breakker comes in and looks at Zayn’s title. Breakker: “See you soon.”

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Fatal Influence vs. Tatum Paxley/Alexa Bliss

Paxley and Bliss are challenging. Bliss and Reid start things off with Bliss taking over but Henley is in off a blind tag. That means a Blockbuster can take Bliss down but it’s already off to Paxley, who gets superkicked off the apron. We take a break and come back with Paxley knocking Henley off the apron. That’s enough for the tag to Bliss so house can be cleaned. Sister Abigail is broken up and Reid’s running knee gives Henley two. Paxley gets in a jumping enziguri but Henley’s cheating rollup is broken up. Sister Abigail on the floor drops Reid and the Cemetery Drive finishes Henley for the titles at 8:16.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to think about this one, as I was liking Fatal Influence as champions but Paxley and Bliss winning is an interesting chance of pace. They might be a better choice than Bliss and Charlotte, though I’m not wild on seeing Charlotte possibly being a singles star again. Either way, goo enough match here, though the commercial taking up about half of the match hurt things.

Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams

Non-title and Lil Yachty is here with Williams, who actually powers Breakker into the corner to start. Breakker is sent outside but pops up for the diving clothesline off the apron to knock Williams over the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Breakker hitting a German suplex to put Williams down again.

The Super Spear is blocked though and a double clothesline leaves both of them down. Back up and some side kicks have Breakker in trouble, followed by a spinning kick to the face. Breakker counters the Trick Shot into a gutbuster so Williams connects on the second attempt. Cue Austin Theory to jump Williams for the DQ at 6:46.

Rating: C+. There was barely enough to be shown here but that wasn’t the point. Not even WWE is crazy enough to have either of these two take a fall, especially the night before Money In The Bank. Either of them are options to win the briefcase and you don’t take away their momentum here. This is why you have stablemates around, as Theory saving his partner made perfect sense.

Post match Logan Paul is here to go after Yachty, with Je’Von Evans coming in for the save. Penta runs down as well but Bronson Reed runs in for the big beatdown to….actually not end the show.

A quick hype video for Money In The Bank really ends the show. Kind of odd there.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in the not so great place as they had Saturday’s show ready and there wasn’t much else for them to do here. The matches designed to set up the ladder matches were fine, inoffensive, and standalone, which covers everything I needed. Other than that, there wasn’t much to do here outside of the title change, but Money In The Bank is a show that can change everything so they didn’t need to do anything here. Saturday is the big one and it should be more than good enough.

Results
Jacy Jayne/Lash Legend/Tiffany Stratton b. Roxanne Perez/Sol Ruca/Lola Vice – Lash Extension to Ruca
MFT b. War Raiders – Brother’s Keeper to Erik
Tatum Paxley/Alexa Bliss b. Fatal Influence – Cemetery Drive to Henley
Trick Williams b. Bron Breakker via DQ when Austin Theory interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: October 2, 2026
Location: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re in the fourth quarter of the year and just over a week away from Money In The Bank. The big story this week is another qualifying match, but we also have the issue of basically everyone being mad at World Champion Sami Zayn, which will have to be solved. That should be enough to carry things here so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of CM Punk beating Gunther and Finn Balor last week to qualify for Money In The Bank.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Tiffany Stratton vs. Candice LeRae vs. Tatum Paxley

LeRae gets smart early on by throwing Paxley at Stratton. That sends Paxley outside, leaving Stratton to get back up with a running hip attack in the ropes. Paxley is back in and they trade rollups for two each until LeRae and Stratton are knocked out to the floor. A moonsault takes the two of them out and Paxley is rather giggly as we take a break.

We come back with everyone down so Paxley gets up to clean house. Cole thinks it will change Paxley’s career trajectory if she wins here. No Cole, it won’t. Stratton gives LeRae an Alabama Slam into a Swanton but walks into a spinwheel kick from Paxley. LeRae’s Lionsault is broken up and the Cemetery Drive hits Stratton, with LeRae making the save this time. Paxley hits LeRae with her 450 but the Prettiest Moonsault Ever breaks it up, allowing Stratton to pin LeRae at 9:36.

Rating: B-. This was more of a showcase for Paxley than anything else but, you know, triple threat and stealing the pin and all that. I will be so glad when we get to the pay per view next week and can stop with these qualifying matches. They’ve been good for the most part, but my goodness mix it up a bit already.

Chelsea Green isn’t sure who is winning the briefcase. Nikki Bella comes in to say she’s taking the title anyway but Paige comes in with a challenge for Bella. They can fight in two weeks, but for now Paige will just slap her.

Rey Fenix/Fraxiom vs. War Raiders/Ricky Saints

Ivar and Frazer start things off with Ivar knocking him down without much effort. Erik comes in and gets enziguried, allowing the tag off to Axiom. Fraxiom fire off the dives and Fenix tries one of his own but messes it up pretty badly and doesn’t make a ton of contact. Everyone is down on the floor and we take a pretty quick break.

We come back with Saints hammering on Axiom and going after the mask as any villain should do to a masked wrestler. Erik grabs a front facelock but Axiom fights his way out, allowing Fenix to come in for the handspring cutter. The rope walk kick sends Erik outside and a superkick puts Ivar down. The frog splash connects with Erik making the save as everything breaks down. Axiom has to moonsault onto the floor to save Frazer and Fenix goes up top, only to get Roshamboed down to give Saints the pin at 10:33.

Rating: B-. It’s another good enough match, though seeing Saints challenge Fenix for the Cruiserweight Title isn’t the most interesting idea. If nothing else, it’s nice to see some people getting some TV time, even if neither of the teams has much going on right now. Perfectly fine match here, though I’m a sucker for this kind of six man tags.

Cody Rhodes knows that he and Kevin Owens have history but he’ll deal with Owens and Johnny Gargano. Trick Williams comes in to say he hopes Rhodes wins but Rhodes is losing at Money In The Bank. Williams: “Let’s talk about it.” Rhodes: “Sounds like we just did.”

Damian Priest is in New York City and says he’s getting back to what he was before. Yes it was personal when he attacked R-Truth and he’ll do it again.

Charlotte has gotten herself and Tatum Paxley a Women’s Tag Team Title shot. Paxley is thrilled but wants Paxley to be serious.

Here is Sami Zayn for a chat. Zayn says he hears the noise here and asks how many people are here to ride or die with him. The reaction is a bit disappointing to them but he’s still playing with injustice in the form of inequality. WWE Champions are supposed to get respect but there are a lot of people saying they are going to beat him. He knows he can overcome any of them and if you don’t believe him, ask Cody Rhodes or CM Punk.

Cue Raw’s Je’Von Evans of all people to say Zayn is sounding worried before moving on to Money In The Bank. Zayn cuts him off, saying he’s been where Evans is before. Evans suggests he might cash in on Zayn if he wins the briefcase, which brings out Penta. Zayn doesn’t seem happy as Penta promises to cash in on someone and win a World Title.

Trick Williams, Gingerbread Man jokes, respect, same thing Penta said. Zayn says he’s look at at least two losers, if not three, and gets in Williams’ face to say no one can do what Zayn can do. As Zayn goes to leave, Finn Balor comes out to say that he’s coming for the title. Cue Gunther to choke Balor out and send Zayn into the ladders.

Tiffany Stratton are very happy over Stratton’s win.

Gunther is asked why he did that and is interrupted by Danhausen (who appears to have a Ghostbusters PKE meter). This doesn’t work for Gunther, who is sick of this and leaves Danhausen laying.

Blake Monroe vs. Giulia

Giulia goes right after her to start but gets stomped down in the corner. A running hurricanrana out of the corner gives Monroe two so Giulia kicks her in the face. They go to the floor and Monroe knees her in the face as we take a break. We come back with Giulia shouldering her down a few times and getting two off a missile dropkick. Monroe’s Neutralizer is broken up so Giulia hits the running knee. A curb stomp gives Giulia two so she goes up top, with Monroe knocking her face first into the post. That’s enough to knock Giulia cold for the pin at 8:22.

Rating: C+. That’s certainly an interesting way to go as Giulia was dominating and then got knocked silly with one single shot. You don’t see it happen very often and it lets Monroe brag about her win without really beating Giulia. Odds are they’ll do a rematch where Giulia can lose again because that’s pretty much all she does these days.

We look at Jaida Parker taking out Jacob Fatu and joining 946 on Raw.

Johnny Gargano tells Candice LeRae that the night can still be salvaged but Sami Zayn comes in to give Gargano a big pep talk.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens vs. Johnny Gargano

Rhodes hammers away at Owens to start before rolling Gargano up for two. Gargano is back up and Rhodes is knocked down, with Gargano knocking Owens out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Owens setting up a table but Candice LeRae saves Gargano. Rhodes is back up with a snap powerslam but gets caught in the Gargano Escape. Owens breaks that up and tries a Stunner, only to be pulled into the Gargano Escape as well.

That’s broken up as well and Rhodes drops Gargano onto Owens. LeRae tries another distraction so Rhodes knocks Gargano into her and…well not really through the table, which just cracks. Gargano is knocked through the rest of the table, leaving Owens to knock Rhodes down as we take another break. We come back again with Owens hitting Gargano with his swinging superplex and going up again. This time Rhodes cuts Owens off but gets shoved down, allowing Owens to hit a Swanton.

Gargano superkicks Owens to steal a near fall, earning himself a Stunner. Rhodes breaks up the cover by diving in front of the referee, which leaves Owens rather unpleased. Owens and Rhodes slug it out until Rhodes counters the Stunner into Cross Rhodes. This time it’s Randy Orton making the save so Rhodes goes after him with some rams into various hard items. Gargano jumps Rhodes though and grabs One Final Beat for two on Owens. Back up and Owens powerbombs Gargano, with Orton cutting Rhodes off to give Owens the pin at 17:03.

Rating: B. This was pretty much all you would have expected, with Orton’s interference being a nice bonus. If nothing else, it was cool to have the finish be anything other than a version of someone stealing the pin. If nothing else, Gargano can continue to pester Sami Zayn while Rhodes goes after Orton, likely in a big grudge match at Money In The Bank.

Post match Orton runs away from Rhodes to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a perfectly fine show, with the two qualifying matches being the focal points and people now talking about what happens when the briefcases actually get into play. That’s going to be one of the bigger stories for the next few months, though Zayn needs a challenger at the moment. Good enough show here, though it should be interesting to see what happens next week when they don’t have the qualifying matches to eat up so much of the show.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Candice LeRae and Tatum Paxley – Prettiest Moonsault Ever to LeRae
Ricky Saints/War Raiders b. Fraxiom/Rey Fenix – Roshambo to Fenix
Blake Monroe b. Giulia – Ram into the post
Kevin Owens b. Cody Rhodes and Johnny Gargano – Stunner to Gargano

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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TripleMania XXXIV Night Two
Date: September 13, 2026
Location: Arena CDMX, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

We’re back after taking Saturday off and the show is down in Mexico City and hopefully things pick up a bit here. The card is certainly stacked enough four title matches, including Dominik Mysterio defending the Mega Title against El Grande Americano. AAA has the potential to do something good here so let’s get to it.

Here is Night One if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at how everything came together on the first night, with the two countries coming together. But now they’re back home and we get to see what happens next. Tonight, they take over Mexico City and show the world where lucha libre comes from.

La Copa Bardahl

This is basically a Royal Rumble (intervals unclear) with pins, submissions or over the top for eliminations. Mr. Iguana is in at #1 and Abismo Negro Jr. is in at #2 with Iguana escaping a gorilla press and spinning around into a hurricanrana. The cross armbar has Abismo in trouble and Histeria (Abismo’s stablemate) is in at #3 (meaning intervals are at about 1:10, at least to start). Iguana gets beaten down and can only crawl so far away until Mascarita Sagrada is in at #4.

Sagrada hits a quick faceplant on Abismo and Iguana is up to whip people with Yesica. That doesn’t last long though as Taurus (also part of Los Vipers, along with Abismo and Histeria) is in at #5. The double teaming is on and a double powerbomb plants Iguana, with Abismo adding a top rope double stomp, which looked a bit low. Sagrada tries to go after all of Los Vipers and it goes as well as expected until El Fiscal is in at #6. Fiscal clotheslines Abismo out for the first elimination but Abismo comes back in to toss him out as well. The two of them brawl off and Laredo Kid is in at #7.

Kid gets to quickly clean house, including drivering Sagrada. Iguana slugs it out with Kid until Mecha Wolf is in at #8. That means Wolf gets to clean house, including planting Sagrada onto Iguana for two as the ring is getting full. La Parka is in at #9 and Bone Breakers Hysteria out before staring at Iguana. El Mesias is in at #10 and you can tell things are getting serious. Mesias gets to throw people around, including Sagrada (which JBL finds hilarious) before getting into a staredown with Wolf.

Dinamico is in at #11 and mostly misses a running knee to Parka before not being able to get the cover either. A springboard cutter hits Wolf, who sprays Dinamico with the mist so Mesias can hit a spear for the pin. Texano Jr. is in at #12 and powers people around before slugging it out with his old rival Mesias. They go towards the ropes but Omos is in at #13, with JBL suggesting that a bunch of people eliminate themselves like Mil Mascaras did at the 1996 Royal Rumble. I’d recommend that JBL brush up on his Royal Rumble history as it was 1997 but instead we get Sagrada going after Omos.

With that not working, Omos throws out Kid, Texano and Mesias before chokeslamming Wolf for a pin. Parka is thrown out as well and Omos does Parka’s dance as he waits on anyone to come after him. Chris Carter is in at #14 and, after taking forever to get inside, is quickly eliminated by Omos. Nino Hamburguesa is in at #15 and gets in a few splashes before being knocked down. Iguana is tossed but Sagrada actually jumps onto Omos’ back to send him to the apron. That’s it though as Omos gets up, tosses Sagrada and then Hamburguesa for the win (Omos’ second in a row of this match) at 22:40.

Rating: C. This was pretty mediocre stuff and really nothing more than a way to get people on the card. That’s perfectly fine, but they would have been better off by just having this as a regular battle royal and cutting off some of the time. Omos winning as a monster is the right choice, as he can get some mileage out of winning the main event of Night One and the opener of Night Two. Everyone else was fine, but this was all about Omos.

We recap La Catalina challenging Flammer for the Reina de Reinas title. Catalina is a newcomer and has been a success elsewhere, but Flammer has been champion for years, making it rather difficult to take the title from her.

Reina de Reinas Title: Flammer vs. La Catalina

Flammer is defending and they shove each other a bit to start. Catalina runs her over with a shoulder but it’s Flammer coming back to take over rather quickly. A double arm crank has Catalina in trouble but she powers out of a front facelock. Catalina…mostly misses a running hip attack to knock Flammer outside, where a spear has better effect. Back in and Catalina knocks Flammer down for two more as frustration is already setting in.

Flammer fights back up with a spinning Angel’s Wings for two of her own, meaning the frustration is mutual. A big boot and sitout powerbomb out of the corner give Flammer two but she misses a Swanton. Catalina hits a top rope splash for two, even with Flammer only partially getting her knees up. Back up and Flammer sends her into the ropes for a running dropkick, sending Catalina crashing to the floor. They get back inside and Flammer looks back for La Hiedra, allowing Catalina to knock her off the top. The running hip attack and running knee give Catalina the pin and the title at 10:23.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t very good, with a bunch of stuff missing and Catalina just coming back to win in the end. Flammer looking for La Hiedra but getting no one is an interesting way to go, but the match to get there wasn’t the best. The women’s division has been a weak spot for AAA since WWE took things over and that doesn’t seem to be getting much better. They just seem to need more polish, which isn’t going to happen without more reps.

We recap El Carnicero vs. Psycho Clown. Carnicero has been attacking the Psycho Circus (at least we think) for several months and finally revealed himself. Now Clown is fighting for his team’s honor in a street fight.

El Carnicero vs. Psycho Clown

Street fight but as Clown makes his entrance, Carnicero beats up some of the production team. Clown goes after him for the save but gets booted in the face for his effort. They get inside with Carnicero busting out some weapons, only to get booted out to the floor. Clown’s dive is cut off with a trashcan to the head, meaning Carnicero can chair Clown down. Clown is right back up with some chair shots of his own and of course it’s time for a table.

That earns Clown a right hand to knock the chair out of his hand but Carnicero misses a charge into the chair in the corner. A top rope splash puts Carnicero through the table for a rather delayed two so they slug it out from their knees. Clown rips his face off and gets a trashcan booted into his jaw for his efforts. Carnicero knocks him into the ropes with Clown’s arms getting tied up so it’s time for a toolbox. Cue the returning Pagano, who turns on Clown, which isn’t overly surprising from someone named The Proud Sinner. Anyway Carnicero hits Clown in the head with the toolbox for the pin at 8:16.

Rating: B-. It was a fun brawl and having Pagano being the one seemingly behind the whole thing makes sense. If nothing else, the Circus can fight against these two for months. Carnicero is a freaky looking guy and felt like some kind of a swamp monster so he’s a great choice for the one who might take the team apart. It was a nice enough brawl, but the big ending reveal was the important part.

El Ojo is ready for the main event and Dominik Mysterio doesn’t care where his father is. Dorian Roldan is ready to induct his mother into the Hall Of Fame and is glad that things are going to go so badly for El Grande Americano.

We recap Rey Fenix defending the Cruiserweight Title against three challengers. They all impressed Fenix so they’re all getting a shot.

Octagon Jr. is here, thankfully walking after his horrible neck injury.

Cruiserweight Title: Jack Cartwheel vs. Mini Vikingo vs. Nathan Frazer vs. Rey Fenix

Fenix is defending. They trade the rapid fire rollups for two each to start and Cartwheel grabs a flipping neckbreaker. The spinning hilo gives Cartwheel two on Frazer and the two of them fight to the floor. Vikingo flips over Fenix into a sunset bomb for two, followed by the corkscrew dive to the floor. Back in and Fenix hits a double cutter on Cartwheel and Frazer before kicking the fire out of Vikingo.

A top rope moonsault press gets two on Frazer, who runs the corner for a super Spanish Fly to Fenix. Frazer goes up again and gets German superplexed down by Fenix, who charges into a superkick for two more. Cartwheel is back up to tie Frazer up for two and pulls Fenix off the top. Vikingo is back up with a super crucifix driver to Fenix and Cartwheel’s top rope corkscrew moonsault gets two on Frazer to leave everyone down. They all get up, strike each other a bit, and then all get knocked down again.

Fenix is up with a Mexican MuscleBuster to Cartwheel but Vikingo shooting stars in for the save. Fenix loads up a super Mexican MuscleBuster on Vikingo, which is turned into a Tower Of Doom. Frazer drops the phoenix splash for two on Fenix and everyone is down. Cartwheel is back up with a Sasuke Special to Vikingo and Jack’s Arrow hits Frazer for two. Fenix takes Cartwheel out and Vikingo sends Fenix to the floor before diving onto Cartwheel. Back in and Fenix hits a quick Mexican MuscleBuster to pin Vikingo and retain at 14:14.

Rating: A-. This was the crazy spot fest that you knew it would be and it worked as well as you probably expected. The idea here is to just go nuts with all of the flips and dives and great timing imaginable and it worked like a charm. These guys know what they’re doing and it’s pure adrenaline and energy all match. Just have one or so of these a show and it’s going to keep working.

Post match here are Los Perros del Mal (with their original music) to take out all four of them. The fans are VERY happy with this and cheer them on rather enthusiastically.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. ???

Open challenge with the Raiders defending against….the Wagner Brothers. Wagner jumps over Erik to start and knocks him down before enziguring Ivar. Back up and Wagner is sent outside and knocked down by Ivar, followed by a heck of a knee for two back inside. A throw gets Wagner out of trouble and it’s off to Galeno for the clotheslines in the corner. Ivar knocks him right back down for the Doomsault and a near fall but Galeno is up with more clotheslines. Wagner is back in as everything breaks down, with Galeno hitting a dive. The Wagner Driver and a top rope splash from Galeno gives us new champions at 5:51.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but this felt like a “the home team wins something on the big night” match. That’s perfectly fine as the Raiders never felt like much more than monsters to be vanquished anyway. The Brothers are a big enough deal in AAA so let them see what they can do as champions.

Stephanie Vaquer won the Raw Women’s Title at a house show in Chile over the weekend.

We recap Dominik Mysterio defending the Mega Title against El Grande Americano. Mysterio has been champion for over a year and Americano has taken the promotion by storm, especially with his mask vs. mask match against the Original El Grande Americano. They teamed together for a bit and Mysterio turned on him to make it even more personal. Now it’s time for Americano to take everything as the top star in the promotion, or at least try.

AAA Mega Title: Dominik Mysterio vs. El Grande Americano

Mysterio, with El Ojo, is defending and it’s No DQ, while Americano is coming in with bad ribs. Americano dropkicks him in the corner to start before knocking Mysterio outside. The dive connects but Mysterio rakes the eyes and they go into the crowd. Americano gets sent into something made of metal and they go back to ringside with Mysterio starting in on the ribs. Some chair shots to the back have Americano in more trouble and Dorian Roldan hands in a belt for some whipping.

Americano grabs the belt though and gets in a hard whip of his own for two to take over. La Cabernaria goes on but Roldan offers a distraction, allowing JD McDonagh to sneak in for a headbutt. Mysterio only gets two and already getting more complicated. Cue Los Americanos to go after McDonagh, with Bravo diving off the stage onto security. Americano’s Air Raid Crash gets two so Los Americanos come back to ringside…and here is Omos.

All three Americanos are taken out but Americano goes to the eye to escape a chokeslam. A low blow slows Omos down and Americano fires off some chair shots, leaving Omos to charge through the barricade. Back in and the running headbutt gets two on Mysterio, who catches Americano going up top. Americano knocks him down but here is Liv Morgan to crotch Americano on top.

The frog splash gets two (with JBL thinking that would have been a new champion) and Americano is back up, with a running headbutt taking him down. Mysterio hits a belt shot but misses the frog splash, allowing Americano to hit the running headbutt. Cue Rey Mysterio, in a neck brace, to count the pin at 17:38.

Rating: B+. It was rather good and they got the big moment at the end, but it wasn’t quite up there with the mask vs. mask match. Americano kind of had to win here, just for the sake of avoiding a riot. Dominik had gotten his big run as champion and is ready to move on anyway so having Rey cost him the title made it even better. Very solid main event with the right result and that’s all you could ask for here.

Americano gets a musical tribute to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show started slowly but it did get better with the four way and the main event both hitting hard. Carnicero vs. Clown was good enough and the Tag Team Title match wasn’t that bad. I wasn’t thrilled with the show overall and that’s probably due to having so much AAA this weekend. The appeal of the weekly show is how quick it is and that makes for a bit more of a test with this much. Overall good, but merging the two shows into one and cutting some stuff would have done wonders.

Results
Omos won La Copa Bardahl last eliminating Nino Hamburguesa
La Catalina b. Flammer – Running knee
El Carnicero b. Psycho Clown – Toolbox to the head
Rey Fenix b. Jack Cartwheel, Mini Vikingo and Nathan Frazer – Mexican MuscleBuster to Vikingo
Wagner Brothers b. War Raiders – Top rope splash to Ivar

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AAA On FOX
Date: September 5, 2026
Location: Coliseo Centenario, Torreon, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re back to the regular show after last week was kind of preempted due to Ola de Calor. That was a big enough show as you do not often see AAA go that long, but more importantly we’re on the way to TripleMania in less than a week. The show will likely get some more matches announced this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Ola de Calor if you need a recap.

Ola de Calor recap.

Opening sequence.

We look at La Parka winning the Latin American Title.

Dinamico/Los Vipers vs. El Fiscal/La Parka/Mr. Iguana

Granted Parka doesn’t have the belt due to the taping schedule but oh well. Parka headlocks Hysteria to start and it’s off to Iguana for a rolling X Factor. Fiscal comes in for a running start to clothesline Dinamico and gorilla presses Hysteria, with Dinamico breaking it up. Taurus’ front facelock is broken up just as quickly and Iguana comes in to take over. Parka comes in to powerbomb Dinamico and everything breaks down. Iguana’s dive to the floor takes out the other team and Fiscal’s running flip dive takes out a bigger pile. Parka dives onto everyone, setting up the Bone Breaker to pin Hysteria at 6:45.

Rating: C+. This was a rather basic six man tag, which makes it rather perfect for a show like this one. Parka and Iguana are both incredibly popular and Fiscal was there to make things a bit more serious. It’s not the most important match, but the fans were into it and it was pretty quick, which I’ll take.

We look at La Catalina winning a gauntlet match last week to become the new #1 contender to the Reina de Reinas Title.

Despite her banged up arm, Catalina is ready to beat Flammer for the title.

Video on Penta beating Rey Fenix to earn a title shot at Roman Reigns in Mexico City.

Rey Mysterio announces that the Psycho Circus will defending the Trios Titles (those are a thing) against Los Perros del Mal. This will be the first title defense this year, and yes that’s fine as titles are very different in AAA.

El Grande Americano is in the ring and joined in progress, as he brings out Torreon’s Pimpinela Escarlata for a chat. Escarlata is rather well received and thanks the fans while apologizing for crying. Americano praises Escarlata and that’s about it. This felt like it would have been better served as a segment for the live crowd but it’s fine enough for a segment on a go home show.

Americano talks about what a crazy year this has been but not he wants more. That means winning the Mega Title, but there is more to it than that, as this is about our culture. As usual, Americano can sell this perfectly.

Mr. Iguana comes in to see Rey Mysterio and after some praise, asks for a title shot. Mysterio agrees to give him a title shot at TripleMania, where he and Laredo Kid can challenge La Parka for the Latin American Title. Iguana is happy as Mysterio goes to take a call, with Parka coming in. Parka doesn’t know about the title match and Iguana says the two of them need to talk.

TripleMania rundown.

The War Raiders issue an open challenge for a title match for TripleMania.

Adelicious vs. La Catalina

Flammer is at ringside. Catalina starts with an armdrag and forearms away but Adelicious is back up with a Sling Blade. That isn’t working for Catalina, who sends her into the buckle and hits a missile dropkick, followed by a spinning faceplant for the pin at 3:35.

Rating: C. This was just a squash and that’s all it should have been, as the title match is in about a week. Catalina is primed to be a real threat to take the title and it’s not like Flammer isn’t ready to lose the title. They needed to have something to fill in the show and as weak as the women’s division may be, this was as good as anything else.

Post match Catalina calls Flammer in but doesn’t get what she wants. Instead Catalina dances to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Oh man this was a weird one, as it was basically a big pre-show for TripleMania with the matches meaning almost nothing. Ola de Calor changed everything as you had that as the big last show and this as the leftovers. That’s not the best way to go, but again, AAA is not WWE and it shouldn’t be compared with the same norms. Not a great show, but TripleMania is all that matters anyway.

Results
El Fiscal/La Parka/Mr. Iguana b. Dinamico/Los Vipers – Bone Breaker to Hysteria
La Catalina b. Adelicious – Spinning faceplant

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: September 4, 2026
Location: Rocket Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

So the big story here is all about the World Title, with a bunch of people coming after CM Punk. That’s more than enough to carry things, but there is also Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes, with the two of them set to collide this Sunday. Other than that, we’re on the slow road to both Crown Jewel and eventually Survivor Series so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Sami Zayn interrupting last week’s #1 contenders match.

Here is Gunther to get things going. He gets right to the point by calling out Sami Zayn, saying the show is sitting still until Zayn gets out here. Zayn pops up in the crowd to say he’s not coming to the ring with a broken hand but the reality is he is the real victim. He’s the last real good guy around here and CM Punk is a fraud. All he wants is his title back and no one gets theirs until he gets his, no matter what happens.

Gunther is tired of this and comes into the crowd, with Finn Balor popping up to cut Zayn off. Balor chases Zayn into the ring and up the aisle, where Kevin Owes shows up to send Zayn running into the crowd. Everyone hates Zayn is good, as Zayn is such a weasel of a heel that it’s easy to want to see him get what’s coming to him.

CM Punk is watching in the back when Nick Aldis comes in, to say we need a #1 contender (Punk agrees). Hold on as they pass Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae, with Punk saying we’re still doing this. Johnny Wrestling is still in there and we’re in his hometown…so what about a title match tonight? Gargano actually gets up and says let’s do it. Works for Aldis.

Fatal Influence vs. Charlotte/Tatum Paxley

Non-title and Jacy Jayne and Alexa Bliss are here too. In the back, Charlotte thinks she’s teaming with Bliss, even though Paxley was announced as the partner before the break. Shouldn’t she know that in advance? Anyway Reid takes over on Paxley to start but gets sunset flipped out of the corner. Henley comes in to knock Paxley down and we take a break. We come back with Paxley fighting out of trouble, allowing Charlotte to come in to clean house. Paxley is right back in to dive onto the other two on the floor and Charlotte kicks Reid into the Cemetery Drive for the pin at 6:48.

Rating: C+. This was quick and to the point with the break cutting out so much of the match. Paxley and Charlotte are another odd couple team and this at least gets their feet wet before the six woman tag on Sunday. I’m not sure how well it’s going to work long term, but it worked for one match. Now, get Charlotte and Paxley a title shot after beating the champs yes?

Post match Jade Cargill and the Baddies come in to help Fatal Influence with the beatdown.

Nikki Bella says Paige failed the “Bella Brand” but Paige comes in to say Nikki never liked her. Paige built her career on hustle, loyalty and respect while Nikki just slept with it. If Nikki doesn’t bring it next week, Paige will end it faster than Nikki’s last relationship. Yeah they’re basic cheap shots but they still work.

Gunther comes in to see Nick Aldis and can’t believe that Johnny Gargano is getting a title shot. He thinks Aldis is doing this to get back at him for the Summerslam loss but Danhausen comes in to greet Gunther. This goes badly again, but Danhausen whips out a photo naming himself the Employee Of The Month.

Nick Aldis is in the ring with the doctor and has Chelsea Green join them. Green isn’t about to have her title taken away from her and if anyone wants to try, let them come after her. She’s not worried about her health, but rather her legacy. The doctor approves Green to wrestle if she wears a facemask, but here are the Irresistible Forces to interrupt. Nia Jax wants a title shot right now so here is Tiffany Stratton for the save. Nick Aldis makes Green vs. Jax for the title next week and Stratton vs. Jax right now. The “Green is injured” story ending with “yeah she’s fine” is a bit jarring.

Nia Jax vs. Tiffany Stratton

We’re joined in progress with Stratton fighting out of a chinlock but getting dropped throat first across the top rope. Stratton breaks up the Annihilator though and grabs a handspring Stunner. A crucifix gives Stratton two but Jax is right back up with a Samoan drop. The Annihilator finishes Stratton at 2:42, as it should have.

Post match Jax rips off Green’s facemask so Green gets in to go after the Forces. Jax drops the mask and leaves. Well that seemed pointless.

Kevin Owens doesn’t like CM Punk but if Sami Zayn comes out there tonight, he won’t be alone.

Corey Graves sits down with Cody Rhodes but Randy Orton immediately interrupts to mock Rhodes for not being able to touch him. Orton keeps calling Rhodes’ mother trailer park trash and then mocks Rhodes’ wife and dog. He gets it though: Rhodes loves the title and following the rules so much that he cares about it more than his own family. That’s really sick. Rhodes says maybe he’s sick and if that’s true, Orton is screwed on Sunday. Orton seems to realize he’s in trouble.

Sunday Night’s Main Event rundown.

Lil Yachty ensures Trick Williams that he’s ready for Baron Corbin and we get a training montage. With money, dancing girls and alcohol of course. Corbin comes in to say Yachty is dead.

Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki are now known as Bakusai. They’re ready.

The Miz/Kit Wilson vs. Bakusai

Kyoki knocks Wilson into the corner to start and hits a basement dropkick, meaning it’s quickly off to Miz. Nakamura hits a running knee and the sliding German suplex in the ropes as we take a break. We come back with Miz kicking Nakamura in the face but getting sunset flipped. It’s back to Kyoki to clean house, including a missile dropkick to the floor. Miz comes in to hammer away until Kyoki gets in a jawbreaker. Nakamura’s running knee takes Miz down and Kyoki grabs a jumping jawbreaker to pin Wilson at 9:26.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure about Bakusai just yet but it’s more about giving Kyoki a rub to start things off. Nakamura is too talented and popular to be left sitting on the sidelines so let him be the veteran in a tag team. It’s better than nothing and it gave us Miz and Wilson again, so we’ll call this quite the good situation.

Post match Haku and the MFT’s come out for a staredown.

Video on the War Raiders vs. Damian Priest/R-Truth.

Blake Monroe still doesn’t think much of the venue or facing Giulia. Cue Giulia to jump Monroe and the brawl has to be broken up. Giulia gets in a cheap shot though and Monroe is left laying. No match, again.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Johnny Gargano and is glad that he’s back. Zayn calls this justice for both of them and makes sure he’s first in line if Gargano wins.

Smackdown World Title: Johnny Gargano vs. CM Punk

Gargano, with Candice LeRae, is challenging in his hometown. Gargano slips out of a slam to start and fires off the right hands, with the fans certainly approving. Punk’s early GTS attempt is countered into a hurricanrana and Punk is in trouble as we take a break. We come back with Gargano fighting out of a chinlock but getting caught with a leg lariat.

Punk hits a high crossbody so Gargano rolls through for two, followed by a superkick for the same. Gargano slugs away until a high kick gives Punk two. A slingshot spear gives Gargano the same so Punk loads up the GTS, which draws out Sami Zayn. LeRae gets in a distraction so Gargano grabs a quick One Final Beat for two.

Zayn grabs the belt and is quickly jumped by Kevin Owens, which draws out Gunther and Finn Balor to join in on the brawl. Zayn is up with belt shots as the GTS connects but LeRae distracts the referee. That means a belt shot to Punk for a rather near fall so Zayn whispers something to LeRae. Zayn is ejected and the GTS retains the title at 13:07.

Rating: B. Gargano wasn’t going to win here but it’s nice to have him back doing something after months of silence. I’m not sure why he’s been sitting around if he’s healthy but maybe he’ll be back in the ring after this. Either way, good main event here with Zayn continuing to be the agent of chaos, where he absolutely excels.

Post match Punk says he’s sick of this so Zayn gets a title shot next week. It’s time to go to sleep.

Overall Rating: B. This show felt more focused and it made for a good week, with the World Title situation carrying things again. Basically a bunch of people want the title and Punk is dangling it in front of them. That’s more than enough for a top story and it could go on for a good while. Throw in the Orton vs. Rhodes stuff and the top of the card is set. Chelsea Green is more than easy enough to like in the women’s division and that’s enough to carry most of the show. Good stuff this week.

Results
Charlotte/Tatum Paxley b. Fatal Influence – Cemetery Drive to Reid
Nia Jax b. Tiffany Stratton – Annihilator
Bakusai b. The Miz/Kit Wilson – Jumping jawbreaker to Wilson
CM Punk b. Johnny Gargano – GTS

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ola de Calor
Date: August 30, 2026
Location: Bert Ogden Arena, Edinburg, Texas
Commentators: Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

This is a rare special event for AAA as we have a much bigger than usual card. It seems to be a way to mess with AEW’s All In event taking place at the same time but that’s hardly a new idea. The big draw here will be the crowning of a new Latin American Champion in a four way so let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at how things are heating up around here and that means AAA is changing. There are all kinds of things going on and now it is time to shake things up around.

Various wrestlers arrive including Dominik Mysterio, who gets on the phone and says “let’s go with Plan B.”.

LWO/Lince Dorado/Mini Abismo Negro vs. Mr. Iguana/Axiom/Noisy Boy/Mascarita Sagrada

Axiom and Wilde start things off with Wilde getting two off a rollup but walking into a dropkick. Back up and Wilde kicks him inside out, only for Boy to come in with a slingshot crucifix. A superkick and anklescissors let Boy flip into a pose, only to get caught with a dropkick from behind.

Del Toro takes over in the corner and it’s Dorado coming back in but a roll across the ring allows the tag to Sagrada. That means del Toro is taken down and Iguana comes in to take over as everything breaks down. Dorada busts out an awesome corkscrew moonsault to the floor and Iguana gets caught in the wrong corner. Abismo’s tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Iguana down but Dorado misses a shooting star press.

That and an enziguri allow Iguana to bring in Sagrada to clean house. A rather spinning crucifix gets…nothing on Abismo as he isn’t legal. Everything breaks down and Boy busts out a top rope springboard corkscrew dive. That leaves Sagrada to get in quite the spinning headscissors to Abismo and Iguana throws Yesica at Wilde. That sets up an electric chair spun into a DDT to give Iguana the pin at 9:47.

Rating: B-. This was all it needed to be with a bunch of people getting a chance to do a bunch of dives. Boy continues to look good in spots like this and it was nice to see him doing something like this. Iguana continues to be someone who can get over with the sheer oddness that he presents and it was on full display here. In other words, putting him out there was a layup and they got it right.

Gauntlet Match

We have an unknown number of unknown entrants for a Reina de Reinas Title shot against Flammer at TripleMania. Adelicious is in at #1 d Lady Shani is in at #2 with Shani taking her down a few times to start fast. Adelicious is back with a Matrix into a headscissors and they trade some rollups. Back up and Adelicious’s rather flipping shoulder to the ribs sets up a missed 450. Instead Shani grabs a Texas Tumbleweed for the pin at 2:57.

Thea Hail is in at #3 and goes after Shani’s arm for an early near fall. Shani knocks her right back down and starts on the leg, followed by a quick cross armbreaker. That’s broken up so it’s another Texas Tumbleweed, which is countered into a rollup to give Hail the pin at 7:11 total. La Catalina is in at #4 and starts fast with a suplex. The running hip attack in the ropes misses though and Hail is on the arm. Hail sends said arm into the corner but gets crossbodied for her efforts.

Catalina gets in a running knee in the corner and lifts her into an electric chair, with the arm going on. Hail grabs the Kimura, with Catalina flipping over for the pin at 11:40. La Hiedra (Flammer’s stablemate) is in at #5 and Flammer is NOT happy as Hiedra starts in on Catalina’s arm as well.

Hiedra wraps the arm around the rope but gets her neck snapped across the top. Catalina goes up and gets Iconoclasmed back but is still able to grab a rollup for two. Flammer gets sick of the near falls and grabs her belt, only to hit Hiedra by mistake. With Flammer sent to the floor, Catalina hits a pump knee for the win at 17:35.

Rating: B-. Catalina felt like the strong favorite even though she wasn’t actually announced for the match in advance. The women’s division continues to feel like something of a mess and it’s nice to have one definitive woman seem ready to challenge for the title. Flammer and Hiedra not getting along could be interesting too but we can get there when it’s t he right time.

Tag Team Titles: Los Americanos vs. War Raiders

The Raiders are defending. Erik shoulders Rayo to start but gets sent into the corner. A double elbow gives Bravo two but he’s powered into the corner so the champions can start the beating. Bravo manages to send Erik into the corner but he shrugs that off just as fast. Bravo comes in and gets dropped by Ivar’s clothesline. A flipping escape into the diving tag brings Bravo back in for a rather impressive spinning slam.

The super hurricanrana hits Ivar and Rayo’s Swanton gets two on Ivar. That earns Bravo a heck of a spinning kick to the face but he slips out of a double spinebuster. A snap of the finger slows Erik down and a springboard headbutt connects, with Erik having to make a save. Ivar’s Bronco Buster misses in the corner so Bravo gives him the rather impressive airplane spin. Bravo goes up for the Swan Dive but Erik throws in a belt, with Bravo crashing onto it to give Erik the pin at 10:20.

Rating: B. This was a basic power vs. speed match and the speed team had them in trouble until the cheating came into play. That’s a classic, simple story and these teams made it work perfectly well. The Raiders are a good choice for the titles right now and they very well may hold onto them for quite a while, which isn’t a bad idea as it’s working.

El Carnicero vs. Chris Carter

We get a vignette showing Carnicero being let out of a truck and walking to the arena, looking like something out of a horror movie. The beating is on quickly, with Carter clearly being in trouble. A gorilla press sends Carter crashing out to the floor and Carnicero chokes him down back inside. The beating continues until the referee calls for the bell at 2:24, giving Carnicero the win.

Post match Dave and Murder Clown run in for the save but get beaten down as well. Psycho Clown comes in with a kendo stick to clear the ring. Psycho wants a street fight at TripleMania. This went fine, as Carnicero felt like a monster and gets his big match set up.

Jack Cartwheel vs. Mini Vikingo vs. Nathan Frazer

For a Cruiserweight Title shot and we get a three way handshake to start. Vikingo avoids an armdrag so Cartwheel rolls both of them up for a double near fall. Frazer is sent outside, leaving the other two to trade flips and misses. Back in and Frazer dropkick both of them down before running Vikingo over. Cartwheel and Frazer fight over a suplex until Cartwheel settles for a headscissors.

Cartwheel knocks both of them down for two but Vikingo is back up to send Cartwheel outside. Vikingo hits a big corkscrew dive to knock Frazer again but he gets up to Spanish Fly Cartwheel off the steps. Back in and Frazer wins a kickoff to Vikingo, setting up a reverse springboard Spanish Fly for two more. Cartwheel cuts Frazer off and gives him a crucifix bomb for two before dropkicking Vikingo in the corner.

Frazer cuts Cartwheel off though and Vikingo’s top rope crucifix bomb gets a rather near fall. With the other two knocked outside, Cartwheel moonsaults onto Vikingo but gets dropkicked hard into the steps. Frazer’s big running flip dive hits both of them and he frog splashes Cartwheel for two. Cartwheel muscles Frazer up for a German suplex and a near fall and grabs a fireman’s carry, with Vikingo coming in with a top rope double stomp into the Death Valley Driver.

Everyone needs a breather until it’s time for the circle of forearms. Cartwheel is back up with a space flying tiger drop onto the other two but Frazer superplexes him into a swinging suplex for a rather near fall. Vikingo catches Frazer with a super Spanish Fly but doesn’t cover, allowing Cartwheel to catch him on top. Cartwheel splashes Vikingo for two, with Frazer making the save. Frazer misses the Phoenix splash and gets caught with Vikingo’s Phoenix 630. Cartwheel dives onto the cover for the save and time expires at 20:20 (eh close enough). JBL: “NO! NO!”

Rating: A-. Yes it was a bunch of flips and dives, but it was 20 minutes of flips and dives. It’s an incredibly athletic spectacle and they didn’t stop for almost the entire thing. This was a good example of knowing what you’re getting into with the match and it’s really a lot of junk food, but DANG this was fun to watch.

Post match Rey Fenix comes out to praise all three of them and announce a four way for the title at TripleMania.

Latin American Title: El Fiscal vs. La Parka vs. Damian Priest vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

For the vacant title. Priest and Fiscal go straight to the floor, leaving Parka to backbreaker Wagner for two. Priest is back in to wreck everyone, with Wagner being kicked outside. The Broken Arrow gets two on Parka and a lifting Downward Spiral plants him for the same. Wagner is back up to superkick Priest into a brainbuster but Fiscal is back in with a moonsault.

Parka is up with a moonsault of his own and then runs Wagner over for two more. Fiscal kicks Priest in the head, which just makes Priest mad. Wagner superkicks Fiscal and a Spanish Fly takes Parka down. Priest punches Fiscal out of the air and gives Fiscal and Wagner a Razor’s Edge each. South Of Heaven hits Fiscal but Parka makes the save and gives Fiscal a Bone Breaker for the pin and the title at 9:23.

Rating: B. Well, the fans love Parka so there are worse ideas. I wasn’t expecting this one but Fiscal can move on to a big blowoff with Abismo Negro Jr., Wagner can do whatever and Priest can head back to the main roster. This was another action packed match and the ending was quite the surprise so we’ll call it another success.

Here is General Manager Rey Mysterio for a contract signing. It’s his job to put together the biggest TripleMania card possible and that includes the Mega Title being defended. It’s time to make the match official but here is Dominik Mysterio, with Dorian Roldan, to interrupt. Roldan gets to a different point, as he wants Omos’ suspension lifted. Omos wants to apologize but Rey doesn’t seem sure.

Dominik says Roldan is wasting his time here but Rey brings out El Grande Americano to sign the contract. Americano brings up Dominik calling himself the King Of The Luchadors but Americano doesn’t buy it. At TripleMania, Americano will prove him wrong and signs the contract. Dominik says that he’s not signing until Omos’ suspension is lifted. Rey threatens to strip the title and give it to Americano but that’s not how Americano wants to win.

Cue Omos through the crowd and of course he has a ticket. Omos pats the top of Rey’s mask and Rey goes after him, with Americano breaking it up. Dominik jumps Americano and sends him into the steps, followed by the beating with a chair. Rey saves Americano and says if Omos wants to come back to AAA, he has to beat Rey at TripleMania. If Rey wins though, Omos is gone forever. Now Dominik signs. There was a lot here but having Rey on the card is a good idea.

Los Perros del Mal vs. Penta/Dragon Lee/Rey Fenix

Fenix and Berto start things off with Fenix missing some running flips and grabbing a sunset flip for two. Fenix gets sent into the wrong corner though and it’s Garza coming in for a suplex and a six count (three near falls). A running boot in the ropes gets two and it’s back to Berto for some choking in the ropes. We pause for Berto to mock the Penta strut but Fenix gets in a pop up hurricanrana. That’s enough for the tag off to Penta to clean house and it’s off to Lee, who gets sent into the wrong corner.

That doesn’t last long either as Lee flips out and brings in Penta to chop it out with Daga. They kick each other down for a double tag off to Berto vs. Fenix, with Berto getting two off a kick to the head. A rolling cutter drops Berto so it’s back to Garza to take over on Lee. Everything breaks down and Berto powerbombs Fenix for two. Penta and Lee hit stereo running flip dives and Berto’s moonsault is kicked out of the air. The Mexican MuscleBuster gives Fenix the pin on Berto at 11:55.

Rating: B. I get that you can’t have the good guys lose with the tournament final coming up on Monday, but Los Perros feel more and more like the Nexus every single week. They don’t really win anything and while they might be intimidating, it stops mattering as much when they just lost in the main event. It was another fast paced match, but Los Perros don’t feel like they matter whatsoever.

Post match Los Perros run back in for the beatdown to end the show. You really couldn’t have had them do that after pinning Lee?

Overall Rating: B+. The last three matches more than carried the show, with only the women’s match feeling a bit less than important (which isn’t due to the action we saw here). Overall, this felt like an extended version of the weekly TV show and that’s a good situation to have, as it’s regularly one of the most entertaining things throughout the week. I wouldn’t want this to be something that is regularly done, but I’ll absolutely take it for a special like this.

Results
Mr. Iguana/Mr. Iguana/Noisy Boy/Mascarita Sagrada b. LWO/Lince Dorado/Mini Abismo Negro – Spinning electric chair DDT to Wilde
La Catalina won a gauntlet match last eliminating La Hiedra
War Raiders b. Los Americanos – Swan Dive onto a belt to Bravo
Mini Vikingo vs. Nathan Frazer vs. Jack Cartwheel went to a time limit draw
La Parka b. El Fiscal, Damian Priest and El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. – Bone Breaker to Fiscal
Penta/Rey Fenix/Dragon Lee b. Los Perros del Mal – Mexican MuscleBuster to Berto

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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This is the first of the trio of shows taking place on Sunday and this one is probably the most unique. We’ve got a rather big AAA card and while the regular hour long show works, I’m not sure how well that is going to translate to something that is probably a good bit longer. If it’s anything like the regular show, we’re going to be fine, but you never can tell. Let’s get to it.

El Carnicero vs. ???

This is Carnicero’s (the Butcher) in-ring debut and he’s the man who has been attacking Psycho Clown, and probably the rest of the Psycho Circus. The match should be just a getting to know you destruction and the fact that an opponent hasn’t even been announced yet should tell you all that you need to know. Carnicero has done well in his limited appearances and now we get to see what he can do.

We’ll say Carnicero is going to smash…oh we’ll go with Noisy Boy in a total destruction. This should be nothing more than a squash and odds are that’s exactly what we’re going to get. Carnicero is being treated as a monster and there is a good chance that the Psycho Circus, or at least Psycho Clown, comes in after the match. That’s going to be more interesting than the match itself, which should be an absolute decimation.

Gauntlet Match

This is for a Reina de Reinas title shot at TripleMania and that means…well it’s hard to say, as we have no idea who is in the match. Granted you can probably guess, but there are so many options out there that it could go in a bunch of ways. Odds are there are going to be some people from the main roster involved and that could be quite the threat for the title shot.

Without knowing who is going to be involved, I’ll take La Catalina to get the shot. That seems to be the showdown that AAA is building towards and it would make sense to do it at TripleMania. Odds are it’s going to be someone from the main roster getting the shot for the star power, as it isn’t like the women’s division in AAA is all that great. Flammer needs some fresh competition, but Catalina seems to be the best bet.

Los Perros del Mal vs. Penta/Dragon Lee/Rey Fenix

This is the big grudge match and it even has the star power of Penta and Fenix teaming together, which is quite the rarity around here. It’s even more interesting when you factor in the #1 contenders tournament on Monday, with Fenix and Penta facing off. Los Perros debuted as a big deal around here but they have only done so much around here since that great star. They could use a win and this might be the chance.

I’ll actually take Los Perros to win, with Fenix and Penta getting into it to cost them the match. It covers a couple of bases at once and that’s always going to be appreciated. What matters the most here is getting Los Perros a win, as they would be instantly damaged if they lost here. The star power on the other side makes for a heck of a team, but it seems like they’re losing here.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders(c) vs. Los Americanos

This is oddly a big match but the interesting thing is that the Raiders already seem to have something going on over on Smackdown. It would be kind of strange to see those titles change hands so quickly before they can be defended on the main roster, but Los Americanos are certainly a threat to take them. I’m not entirely sure which way this is going and as usual, that’s a nice feeling to have.

It’s a match that could go either way but I’ll take the champions retaining here as it feels like the better option. The Raiders have been smashing through people for a bit and while Los Americanos are tied to the biggest star in the promotion, they don’t need to win here. You know they’re going to be involved with the main event of TripleMania and that’s enough, so stick with the champions holding the titles here.

Mini Vikingo vs. Nathan Frazer vs. Jack Cartwheel

This is for a Cruiserweight Title shot at TripleMania and this kind of match has become one of the standards for AAA. They know how to have three guys get in the ring and fly around for a bit until one of them gets the fall and that’s something that will work every time. It’s a good collection of talent again here and they have something to fight for, which should make it even better.

I’ll take Vikingo to win here, as he is by far the highest profile name in AAA. He’s already been dealing with some bigger names and the fans like him, so putting him in a title match on the biggest stage that AAA has to offer isn’t a bad idea. This should be quite the spectacle though as all three have more than impressed in their time around here. It’s something you see a lot of in AAA and that’s because it works so well.

Latin American Title: La Parka vs. El Fiscal vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Damian Priest

This is for the vacant title after El Hijo del Vikingo got hurt. Odds are this is going to headline the show as it has been treated like a big deal and a new champion is always a good way to wrap up a show. There are multiple realistic options to win the title here and that helps a lot, as there is little benefit to having a glorified countdown to someone being crowned champions.

The more I think about it, the more I’m leaning towards Fiscal. I can’t imagine Priest winning the title when he’s already a big star on the main roster. Wagner was champion for a long time and doesn’t need to be the champion again. That leaves Parka and Fiscal and I’m not sure I can imagine a skeleton man having one of the bigger titles in the promotion. Fiscal wins here and gets to have a big showdown with Abismo Negro. Maybe he can even get a Wikipedia page out of it.

Overall Thoughts

At the end of the day, there are a lot of holes in this card as some of the participants aren’t announced yet. It doesn’t help that the show is just a few weeks away from TripleMania, but this is just around to take away a little bit from All In anyway. If it winds up being good then so be it, but the action should be good enough to carry things, as tends to be the case with AAA.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: August 28, 2026
Location: Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We’re in the rare situation of the show being taped in advance this week as the company is getting ready for another big international tour. In this case, the show is going to be building towards next month’s Saturday Night’s Main Event, which should be a heck of a show. Kevin Owens is not going to be happy with Sami Zayn over….oh like it matters with those two. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of last week’s World Title match, with Sami Zayn costing Kevin Owens the title against CM Punk.

Here is Owens to get things going. Owens talks about how he has lost a lot of World Title matches over the last twelve years but last week was different. Everything was perfect and he was back after seventeen months away. He was back earlier than he should have been and his parents were even at the show. His mom had some health issues last year but she kicked out and is still around. But then Sami Zayn cost him the title.

He’s forgiven Zayn for a lot over the years but this one is different. For now though, he wants to focus on CM Punk, who was beaten last week and everyone knows it. Cue Punk to say they can do it again right now but Nick Aldis cuts them off. This brings out Gunther, who says Punk and Owens hate each other because they’re so alike.

Gunther: “I’m glad your mom kicked out, but last week, you didn’t.” This brings out Finn Balor, with Gunther calling him a ghost. Balor says everyone is getting tired of Gunther’s act and the line starts behind him. Aldis isn’t having this and makes a triple threat for the #1 contendership tonight. That was resolved quickly.

Tiffany Stratton asks Chelsea Green if she’s sure about their tag match tonight. Green is absolutely going out there but Stratton doesn’t want her to risk her injury getting worse.

Tiffany Stratton/Chelsea Green vs. Irresistible Forces

Legend ragdolls Stratton to start but gets dropkicked in the back for her efforts. A running hip attack hits Legend in the ropes, followed by a handspring Stunner. Green, in her protective mask, comes in for a Zig Zag to Legend but Jax is in with a headbutt. That leaves Green writing in pain and we take a break.

We come back with Stratton in a bearhug and Green being checked on by the medics. Jax runs Stratton over again and Legend has another bearhug. Jax’s middle rope legdrop misses though and Green is taken to the back, only to spring back in for a missile dropkick. Stratton is sent into the barricade though and Jax punches Green in the face, setting up the Annihilator for the pin at 9:41.

Rating: C+. They’ve got something with the idea of Green having to find a way to defend her title, as they very well could set up her title match against Jax. The fans want to see what Green is doing at the moment and while it is likely setting up a match with Stratton down the line, she has to defend the title sooner or later. Odds are it’s against Jax, but the injury is going to make that tricky.

Danhausen comes in to see Nick Aldis and thinks he should be the Employee Of The Month on Smackdown. Gunther comes in and completely ignores Danhausen’s offer of a handshake before complaining about the triple threat. Aldis promises that there will be no shenanigans or additions. Danhausen asks to be added to the match and is told no. Foiled again, but at least no curses.

Women’s US Title: Paige vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne is defending and the rest of Fatal Influence is here too. Paige starts fast by sending her into the ropes and firing off the knees to the chest. A dive off the apron takes Jayne down again but a Fatal Influence distraction lets Jaye take over as we take a break. We come back with Jayne holding a chinlock but Paige fights up.

A double clothesline leaves both of them down before Jayne takes over off an exchange of shots to the face. Paige fights up again and tries Rampaige but has to dispatch the rest of Fatal Influence. That’s enough of a distraction for Jayne to grab a small package to retain at 7:41.

Rating: C. This was all about the numbers game for Jayne and that’s a simple enough story for the match. At the same time, it’s only so interesting as Paige on her own isn’t the most thrilling at the moment. She’s something of a legend but you know she’s going to have to deal with the Bellas, so there wasn’t much of a chance for her to pull this off, especially on her own.

Post match Nikki Bella runs in to lay Paige out.

Video on Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton.

Finn Balor comes up to Rhodes, who is worried about all these things. Balor tells him to not do anything too crazy and remember that Balor is going to win the title soon enough. They can see each other on the other side, with Balor extending his hand. Rhodes shakes it and they’re fine.

Trick Williams comes up to Lil Yachty and is going to try to get him out of the match with Baron Corbin. Yachty says it’s ok though and he wants to show what he can do and get Williams a title match. With that, Yachty leaves and Williams runs into Corbin, who is ready to whoop that trick, meaning Yachty.

Here is Cody Rhodes for a chat. He wants to talk about Randy Orton, who is coming up on fifteen World Titles. That’s not a record, but it’s what Orton wants right now. Anyone who has watched Orton knows that when he starts going up, he messes up. Orton doesn’t have the shoulders to carry the company and at Saturday Night’s Main Event, Rhodes is killing Orton off for good.

Cue Orton to say that Rhodes had a driver’s side seat to a lot of Orton’s troubles. Rhodes was there to help make sure that Orton stayed out of trouble and got tucked into bed every night. Does Rhodes resent that? Does he want to take a swing? Rhodes fumes and Orton brings up Rhodes’ dog Pharaoh (implying that he’s dead, which doesn’t seem to be the case), which has Rhodes taking his jacket off. Orton brings up that their match will be in Rhodes’ hometown of Atlanta, and Rhodes’ trailer trash mother and wife might be there.

Orton poses and invites Rhodes to hit him but Rhodes says he’s counting the days. Rhodes brings up his father being a legend while Orton’s father was a world class screwup. Orton: “TOO FAR! THAT’S TOO FAR!” Orton is seething as Rhodes leaves. This was a mental chess game and it worked rather well, with Orton ticking Rhodes off and then getting the tables turned on him.

Tatum Paxley whispers something to Jackie Redmond, who immediately runs off. Charlotte and Alexa Bliss come in and they’re set for a six woman tag against Jade Cargill and the Baddies at Sunday Night’s Main Event. Paxley and Bliss hug Charlotte, which isn’t so well received.

Preview of Monday’s #1 contenders match, with Penta and Rey Fenix both ready to face their brother.

Fenix is ready to face his brother but Ricky Saints comes in to say Fenix can lose and then give him a title shot. Or Fenix could win the whole thing and come back to shut Fenix up for good.

Michin vs. Tatum Paxley

Their respective friends are here too. Michin talks a lot of trash to start and then poses in the ropes to frustrate Paxley even more. Back up and Paxley knocks her to the floor for a dive and we take a break. We come back with Michin grabbing a bow and arrow, which is quickly escaped. Paxley superkicks her down and hits an enziguri but walks into a sitout powerbomb. Back up and Paxley kicks her in the head, setting up the Cemetery Drive (Paxley has her back to Michin and grabs Michin’s leg to flip her over for a crash) to finish Michin at 7:52.

Rating: C+. Paxley looked fine in her debut on the main roster and I’m curious to see what how well she can do around here. The good thing is that she developed rather well while she was in NXT and came up to the main roster ready to go. Putting her with a trio is a good idea and the fact that she’s with this level of competition makes me think WWE has faith in her, which is a rather positive sign.

We look at Blake Monroe attacking Giulia last week.

Monroe says that match last week was beneath her and she isn’t having her debut until she has an opponent worthy of her. Giulia runs in to jump her and Monroe is laid out.

Kevin Owens comes up to Randy Orton, who says Owens was right about Cody Rhodes. No they aren’t friends, but Owens says they can talk later.

The MFT’s are ready for Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki. Haku wants them to be violent.

Damian Priest tells R-Truth that this was a great summer but they don’t have the titles anymore so it might be time to move on. Priest absolutely has R-Truth’s back but the War Raiders come in to mock them. The AAA Tag Team Title match is set for Mexico City, even with Priest not looking thrilled.

The Irresistible Forces come in to see Nick Aldis, with Nia Jax demanding a title shot against Chelsea Green. Miz and Kit Wilson come in to complain about Aldis being toxic, earning themselves a match with Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki next week.

Kevin Owens vs. Gunther vs. Finn Balor

For a future shot against CM Punk. Owens jumps Gunther to start fast and stomps him down in the corner but Balor is back in with a sunset flip for two. Owens cuts that off and Swantons Gunther for two more. Gunther chops his way out of trouble and then fires off another one to Balor. The sleeper is broken up and Gunther is sent through the ropes for a dive from Balor and we take a break.

We come back with Owens and Gunther striking it out and the former getting the better of things. Balor Peles Owens down but he’s right back up with the running corner clotheslines. The Sling Blade cuts Owens off but he catches Balor up top. Owens is knocked outside and Balor drops Gunther with the shotgun dropkick. The Coup de Grace connects, only for Sami Zayn to pull Balor out.

Zayn sends Balor over the announcers’ table and takes out the referee as Owens Stuns Gunther. Another referee runs in and is taken out by Zayn as well but here is CM Punk to go after Zayn. The threat of a belt shot sends Zayn inside, where Owens gets in a fight with Punk. Zayn belts Owens in the head and does the same to Balor and Gunther. One more belt shot drops Punk and Zayn poses with the title to end the show as we’ll call this a no contest at about 10:00.

Rating: B-. It was all action and I wasn’t sure where it was going, which made Zayn’s interference both logical and a bit annoying. The good thing is that the three of them are all going after the title and that’s before you add Zayn to the mix. It’s a story that has always worked in wrestling and it will work again here, as odds are we’re coming up on a big multiman match for the title, which could go in a variety of ways. Good enough main event here, but it’s about setting up something else down the line, which is a fine idea.

Overall Rating: B. This was mainly about the main event stories and I’m digging where both of them are going. Orton vs. Rhodes feels like a personal feud and the World Title situation could go in all kinds of ways. That’s in addition to all of the women’s stuff, which worked rather well too. Good show here but it’s more about where things are going, which has quite the potential. If it’s like this, we’re in for a good fall.

Results
Irresistible Forces b. Chelsea Green/Tiffany Stratton – Annihilator to Green
Jacy Jayne b. Paige – Small package
Tatum Paxley b. Michin – Cemetery Drive
Kevin Owens vs. Gunther vs. Finn Balor went to a no contest when Sami Zayn interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: August 14, 2026
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re a week away from the Kevin Owens vs. CM Punk World Title match and that means it’s time for some rather big talking. That should be more than enough for the focal point out here but we also have the Tongans and the War Raiders getting a Tag Team Title shot against R-Truth and Damian Priest. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is Nick Aldis to get things going. He brings out the injured Chelsea Green, who suffered a broken orbital bone last week. Green’s injury means she can’t wrestle but she says she’ll do anything to keep going. She gives quite the speech about how she has done everything to get here, missed so many things and done anything asked of her, but she finally made it.

Aldis should understand this, especially after Summerslam. Green and Aldis both proved that it doesn’t matter what others think of them but rather what they think of themselves. Green hands the title away and leaves distraught, but Aldis stops her (the fans like that). As the GM, he can’t do anything….though as Aldis the man, he doesn’t care what medical says. She has thirty days to get cleared, get a mask or whatever it takes to defend the title.

Until someone takes it from her, she is still the champion. Green gives him a big hug but here is Gunther to interrupt. Gunther asks why Aldis pulled that stunt at Summerslam (having a fourth person in the #1 contenders match). He doesn’t think much of Green’s pitiful injury and asks why Owens was added to his match. Aldis: “I added you to Owens’ match.”

Green laughs at Gunther, who tells her to shut up. Green only sees one champion in this ring and here is Matt Cardona (Green’s husband) to run in. Gunther: “All the way from catering!” Gunther asks what Cardona could do to him and mocks Cardona for doing as Green says, meaning the fight is on as we take a break.

Gunther vs. Matt Cardona

Joined in progress and they’re both in street clothes. Gunther fires off the chops and sends him outside for a powerbomb onto the announcers’ table. Another powerbomb onto the apron has Cardona in bigger trouble and a Saito suplex makes it worse. Gunther stops to yell at Chelsea Green though, allowing Gunther to kick him low and hit the Rough Ryder. That’s only for two as Gunther powerbombs him into the Boston (hey) crab to make Cardona tap at 3:41.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here but the idea here was for Cardona to fight for his wife’s honor and it went well enough. Cardona isn’t supposed to be able to beat Gunther in the first place so it’s not like this was in any serious danger. I’m not sure what is next for Gunther, but I can go for him being a bully for a bit.

Post match Green checks on Cardona but here are the Irresistible Forces, with Nia Jax saying she wants the Women’s Title. She doesn’t mind the idea of breaking Green’s face again but here is Tiffany Stratton. That’s the extent of Stratton’s positives, as she runs in and is promptly crushed.

We look at Tatum Paxley debuting last week to help Charlotte beat Jade Cargill.

Charlotte and Alexa Bliss are in the back, with Bliss talking about how Paxley is her friend too. Bliss opens a door and finds Paxley in a black room, complete with a bunch of candles and photos of Bliss and Charlotte on the walls. It’s their new locker room and they go inside, despite it being little more than a broom closet. Charlotte isn’t pleased but goes with it anyway.

We look at Randy Orton costing Cody Rhodes at Summerslam and the two of them wanting to fight last week on Smackdown but not getting around to it.

Rhodes comes up to Nick Aldis and wants a match with Orton. Aldis doesn’t know where Orton is but he’ll look into doing it at Sunday Night’s Main Event. Rhodes will take the match anywhere but here is Sami Zayn to interrupt. Zayn wants to know why Rhodes doesn’t have to wait to get anything he wants, which has Rhodes snapping.

If Zayn wants to do something like that, they can do it tonight. Zayn brings up beating Rhodes, who asks if he can do it again. Zayn says he’s hurt (broken hand), so Aldis asks what if he made it more interesting. We’ll make it a #1 contenders match, if Zayn is willing to go through with it. Let Aldis know.

US Title: Baron Corbin vs. Carmelo Hayes

Hayes is challenging and fires off a running flip dive to take Corbin down to start. A nice springboard spinning clothesline drops Corbin again and he misses a charge out to the floor. The Fadeaway connects but the First 48 is countered into a powerbomb. Corbin sends him outside and into the post as we take a break.

We come back with Hayes hitting a springboard DDT into a frog splash for two. The First 48 is blocked again so Corbin boots him in the face, meaning Deep Six can get another near fall. Now a pair of First 48’s can connect but Corbin shoves him off the top and into the barricade. The End Of Days retains the title at 9:23.

Rating: B-. They had a nice speed vs. power match here, which is where Corbin tends to do well. Corbin isn’t looking bad since his return and it’s all but guaranteed that Trick Williams will get another chance at him, if it doesn’t mean that Williams is moving up the ladder. Having Corbin win the title shows that he still has it and that’s a good thing. This worked well, even with Hayes losing again.

Post match here is Trick Williams on the stage but Lil Yachty runs in from behind with a Trick Stick shot to Corbin. Williams runs in with the Trick Shot to save Yachty from destruction.

Chelsea Green thanks Tiffany Stratton for the save and Stratton says she’s good to defend her title tonight. Cue ominous music. Well first find something that can play ominous music and cue that. Then cue the music.

Here are Kevin Owens and CM Punk to go face to face. Punk knows that Owens was about to say something about him so go ahead and say it to his face. Well after Punk hits his catchphrase of course. Owens says the camera caught Punk calling him something close to a fat slob last week. Punk suggests he would say that to Owens’ face, but Owens says their story started twenty years ago. Punk: “Go ahead. Smarten them up.”

Owens talks about how they used to wrestle for an independent promotion, where Punk was the top star. That night, Punk berated him in front of the locker room when Owens was just trying to make a name for himself. Punk can’t believe this is what the whole thing was about but Owens says that Punk has treated Owens’ friends over the last twenty years. Punk’s going to need more than that, because Owens’ friends hate him.

Owens says Punk is probably thinking of three of them (oh here we go) but Owens means all of them. Punk is fine with having losers hate him if it means not being one of them. Owens is the one guy left in the back who doesn’t like him because Punk is a phony. The reality is that Punk has screwed up everywhere else but he’s been in this ring consistently for twelve years without getting hurt until his recent injury. He’s been World Champion and headlined Wrestlemania against Steve Austin.

Punk says that wouldn’t have happened if he had been here, with Owens saying that Punk still sees him as a fat indy slow. Punk: “Is that how I see you or is that how you see yourself?” He called out Oba Femi and got endometriosis instead. When Punk looks at Owens he sees potential but in the form of a bum who avoids the hard work. Punk is always trying to be better and if Owens had put in that work, maybe he could have avoided Goldberg’s spear.

Owens is convinced that Punk hates himself, but Owens doesn’t feel that way when he looks in a mirror. And what about Punk not avoiding that Roman Reigns’ spear at Wrestlemania. Punk sees the same guy he saw twenty years ago, but Owens regrets not hitting him in the face twenty years ago. Owens knows that if he had, Punk would have ruined his career.That’s why he’s waiting seven more days, because he can hit Punk in the face and take the title. Punk is ready to put him to sleep next week.

They had a good idea here, but the “this started twenty years ago” took  so much out of me. Not only was it something from another promotion, but it happened backstage so we won’t even know what they’re talking about. Throw in the AEW references and this was a good bit too inside baseball for me. Not everything has to be some big historic moment and that was the case here.

Finn Balor is in Nick Aldis’ office and wants to do….something, but Gunther interrupts. Aldis isn’t happy, but Gunther says he only sees a shadow of Balor. That goes as well as expected, with Balor saying he wants a title shot and will gladly beat Gunther to get there.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: R-Truth/Damian Priest vs. War Raiders vs. MFT’s

Only Priest and R-Truth are defending (the Raiders’ AAA Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line) and Haku is here with the MFT’s. R-Truth, Erik and Tama start things off, with Talla tagging himself in. Everything breaks down and the challengers go to the floor, with Priest hitting a big dive to take them out.

We take a break and come back with Priest getting a tag to clean house and hopefully bring the crowd back to life a bit. Everything breaks down and Talla chokeslams the champs down. The Raiders give Tama the pop up powerslam for two before Ivar and Priest get together to drop Talla. R-Truth adds in the STF, which is quickly powered off. Erik knocks Priest through the announcers’ table, leaving R-Truth to initiate John Cena’s finishing sequence on Tama. Talla is back in though and the Brother’s Keeper to R-Truth gives Tama the pin and the titles at 9:50.

Rating: B-. It’s kind of hard to get mad at this one as R-Truth and Priest got just about all they could out of what felt like a thrown together title reign. The Raiders already have their own titles so let the MFT’s do something. They’re a pair of monsters with an even scarier manager so this is all good enough.

Women’s US Title: Jacy Jayne vs. Tiffany Stratton

Jayne, with Fatal Influence, is challenging and jumps her to start, with some shoulders to the bad ribs in the corner. A bodyscissors has Stratton in more trouble and Jayne knocks her down again as we take a break. We come back with Chelsea Green at ringside as the two of them hit running hair takedowns.

Stratton is up with the cartwheel Alabama Slam into the Swanton for two. A handspring Stunner sets up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever, which hits Jayne’s raised knees. Fatal Influence goes after Green so Stratton dives onto the two of them, only to charge back into the Rolling Encore to give Jayne the (four count, as she moved slightly and the referee restarted) pin and the title at 8:36.

Rating: C+. They’re not exactly being subtle about what’s going on with Stratton and Green and it’s good to see Jayne get some gold of her own to complete the Fatal Influence title trio. They’ve hit the ground running around here and I could go with seeing them as more of a focal point. The good thing is that the women’s division has a bunch of stuff going on and that’s a nice development.

Jade Cargill and the Baddies are fine with having a new victim in Tatum Paxley.

Sami Zayn vs. Cody Rhodes

For the #1 contendership and never mind because here is Randy Orton to jump Rhodes before Zayn ever comes to the ring. Orton hits him in the face with the steps and they brawl into the crowd with Rhodes fighting back. Zayn, cheated again, is ticked as they get back to ringside, with Rhodes having to get in a low blow to block a Pillmaniazing. The chair is taken away from Rhodes to prevent him from doing the same thing to end the show. Given that they had about five minutes left for the match, it was more would the bell ever ring, as Orton pretty much had to come in and do something.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a show where a lot happened, with things going in quite a few directions. They pushed towards Rhodes vs. Orton, with a variety of people not being happy, along with a pair of title changes. That’s in addition to the rather intense Punk vs. Owens segment, though dang they could have done better with less really old outside of WWE history. You don’t get that kind of development on a single show, and if the in-ring action was that much better, the show would have been an even better result. Good show overall, but with some better wrestling, it would have been great.

Results
Gunther b. Matt Cardona – Boston crab
Baron Corbin b. Carmelo Hayes – End Of Days
MFT’s b. War Raiders and Damian Priest/R-Truth – Brother’s Keeper to R-Truth
Jacy Jayne b. Tiffany Stratton – Rolling Encore

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Smackdown
Date: August 7, 2026
Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Summerslam and CM Punk is still World Champion, having turned back the challenge of Cody Rhodes thanks to the help of a returning Randy Orton. While Punk might still have to deal with Rhodes, he also has a new #1 contender in the form of the returning Kevin Owens. That’s quite the surprise as Owens had been gone for about a year and a half but now he wants the title again. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

In Memory Of Dory Funk Jr.

Here is a ticked off Cody Rhodes who wants Randy Orton out here for a fight right now. With no Orton, Rhodes pays a quick tribute to Dory Funk Jr. and talks about winning the WWE Title right here in Philadelphia. He also brings up the loss to CM Punk, who comes out to join Rhodes. Punk asks if there is something Rhodes wants to ask him and Rhodes gets right to the point: did Punk know? Punk did not know and is willing to go help take care of Orton together.

Rhodes wants to do it himself and leaves Punk alone in peace. Punk stops him though, saying their unfinished business can be taken care of whenever he says when. As a pleased Rhodes leaves, here is Kevin Owens to join Punk. They waste no time in arguing but here is Nick Aldis to call it off. Owens and Punk say they’re both professionals and Punk thinks Owens is here in his gear.

That’s not true as Owens wrestles in shorts instead of pants, but yes he wants to wrestle. That’s all he’s wanted to do for seventeen months, with the fans saying he’s still got it. Owens: “I never lost it.” He’s been told that Punk is a changed man but Owens isn’t buying it. Rhodes can have his title match anytime but Owens is the #1 contender. That’s because Punk is arrogant enough to look past him, which doesn’t work for Punk.

The reality is that Punk is the best in the world and he acts like it. Were these people really standing around waiting for Owens? Punk thinks Owens should thank him for paving the way for him, as otherwise Owens would be working on the indies and calling Punk for tickets to the WWE shows. Owens says Punk must be lonely on that pedestal and calls him a piece of s***. Now the agents have to come in and hold them back. Yeah this worked, as Owens can hang with Punk on the mic and showed it here.

Charlotte has known Jade Cargill has something for years and tonight, Charlotte is giving her a beating.

Trick Williams is ready to beat up Baron Corbin and get his US Title back.

US Title: Trick Williams vs. Baron Corbin

Corbin is defending and comes in on a motorcycle. They go right to the brawling with Williams knocking him outside early on. Williams knocks him over the announcers’ table and we take a break. We come back with Williams kicking his way out of trouble and the Trick Kick connects.

The Trick Shot is countered into the Deep Six though and Corbin gets a breather. They slug it out from their knees and Corbin is knocked outside, where Corbin grabs the belt. That just lets Williams grab a Rock Bottom for two, followed by the Trick Shot, but Corbin is in the ropes. Corbin is knocked outside again and with the referee shoved away, it’s a belt shot to retain the title at 8:26.

Rating: C+. I still like Corbin winning like this, as he’s not doing anything insane or complicated to win. He’s literally just hitting Williams in the head with a hard object to win the matches and that’s a good way to make him look like a villain. Williams will be fine in the end I’m sure, though I’m not sure if he’s going to go after Corbin again or do something else.

Sami Zayn congratulates Nick Aldis for getting his GM job back before yelling at Aldis for adding Gunther to the #1 contenders match. Aldis doesn’t seem bothered as here is Kevin Owens to interrupt. Owens wants his title shot in two weeks in Toronto, which works for the departing Aldis. That leaves Owens and Zayn to do their usual semi bickering and suggest that they’re fine with fighting each other for the title. Owens: “Six days. I’ve been back six days.”

Baron Corbin does not like his wins being called upsets. The reality is Trick Williams will never get the title back and no one can take the title from him. Carmelo Hayes jumps him and the title match is already set for next week.

We look at the ladder match from Summerslam, with Chelsea Green becoming the new Interim Women’s Champion.

Here is Green for her championship celebration. She thanks herself for the win, but also the blonde bombshell best friend, Tiffany Stratton. Cue Stratton, with Green saying she knows their friendship can handle what happened at Summerslam. Green offers a toast but here is Fatal Influence to interrupt. The brawl is teased and….let’s do it for the Women’s Tag Team Titles, with Jacy Jayne getting a Women’s US Title shot next week in return.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Tiffany Stratton/Chelsea Green vs. Fatal Influence

Fatal Influence is defending as Green starts with Henley. Green quickly brings in Stratton for the armdrags and some double knees to the back send the villains outside as we take an early break. We come back with Stratton Swantoning Reid for two, allowing Green to slam Reid off the top. Everything breaks down and Jayne’s Rolling Encore knocks Green silly Henley comes back in and the Fatal Flaw to Green retains the titles at 7:28.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure about how much sense the title stipulation made, but I’m really not sure about seeing the new champion, who won as a huge underdog, getting pinned less than a week after winning the title. That’s something you see every so often and it’s annoying to see it happen. Even with the interference, there isn’t much good about seeing Green take the pin here as she only has so much status at the moment.

Post match the Irresistible Forces come in to beat down Green and Stratton to pose with their titles.

Damian Priest doesn’t get why the MFTs are coming for them again when the MFTs have already been beaten. The War Raiders come in to say they want their own title shot and R-Truth comes in to say the title match is on next week. Priest points out that the AAA Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line and isn’t pleased.

Video on Brock Lesnar’s career, which is still rather cool to see. Lesnar has officially announced his retirement, which I’ll believe when I don’t see it happening again.

Here is Randy Orton for a chat but before he can get anywhere, a ticked off Cody Rhodes (in different clothes than he was wearing earlier) interrupts. Orton immediately bails out and Rhodes demands an explanation, which has Orton confused. Remember during the road to Wrestlemania when Rhodes told him to be the evil Orton?

Yeah Rhodes beat him at Wrestlemania but that’s the time when Orton realized he needed to go full blast. The best version of Orton isn’t going to bring home #15, but the worst version of him sure will. From now on, he’s not going to let Rhodes be champion again. Rhodes doesn’t have to be a champion anymore, so now the worst version of him is coming out again. So now, who kills Orton?

Sami Zayn rants to Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae about being jealous of Kevin Owens getting a title shot but here is CM Punk to interrupt. Punk asks if they’re still doing this and says that if Zayn could do anything about this, he would have when he lost. Now Zayn is at the back of the line.

Jade Cargill and the Baddies want the Women’s Title.

Nikki Bella says she rebuilt Paige’s career and now it’s Paige’s fault that the Bellas aren’t together right now. Therefore, revenge is promised.

Shinsuke Nakamura says the MFTs need to remember who he is. He’s back and starting a war…but he isn’t coming alone.

Charlotte vs. Jade Cargill

They fight over a lockup to start and crash out to the floor without letting go. Back in and Cargill shoulders her down but Charlotte nips up and gets in a knockdown of her own. The Queen’s Decree (the flipping figure four necklock slams) connects but they head outside, with Cargill ramming her into the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Charlotte avoiding a charge in the corner and grabbing a German suplex. Cargill rolls through a high crossbody for two more though but Charlotte bridges up to try the backslide. That doesn’t work so Charlotte takes her up, where the Stratusphere is blocked.

Instead Cargill gives her a big jumping sitout powerbomb for two but a bit boot misses. That lets Charlotte come right back with a chop block into the Figure Eight so here are the Baddies to break it up. Cue the returning Alexa Bliss…and the lights go out. NXT’s Tatum Paxley is on the top and dives onto the Baddies, leaving Charlotte to grab a Sister Abigail DDT. A top rope Natural Selection pins Cargill at 13:17.

Rating: B-. This was kind of a weird way to debut Paxley but she’s a good choice to move up. Outside of a surprise NXT Women’s Title win, there wasn’t much left for her to do down there and she seems like she could be an interesting addition up here. Other than that, Charlotte beating Cargill with some help in the name of revenge isn’t a bad way to go, though I’d assume we’re far from this being over.

Overall Rating: B. This show was more about the talking and advancing the big developments coming out of Summerslam. The World Title situation is rather interesting here and they’re doing some good stuff by having so many people want the belt. That’s how you make the title chase hot and it’s working here. While there was only so much in the ring, the show felt very busy and flew by, which is a rather nice feeling to have. Good stuff here, as things are looking interesting at the moment.

Results
Baron Corbin b. Trick Williams – Belt shot
Fatal Influence b. Tiffany Stratton/Chelsea Green – Fatal Flaw to Green
Charlotte b. Jade Cargill – Top rope Natural Selection

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6